Smile
by Rain-Dance-Dani-California
Summary: "She felt like her heart was crawling into her throat. Her chest tightened and her brain went blank" Sometimes, we just need a simple reason to smile.


**Just a little story I wrote. I wanted to get this out, along with another story containing one of my main OC's, before I came out with my new version of Paradise, and you didn't know her.**

**I hope you like!**

* * *

The cabin door opened, and the white smoke poured out. Aurora ran out, coughing and laughing with her older brothers, who'd managed to escape with little damage. By little she meant that their hair was only singed, they had minor cuts, and they had one shoe on.

Aurora however had bits of glass stuck in her arm, and the bottom half of her shirt was eaten away by a sparkling acid. Her eyes burned, yet she maintained a smile.

"Lou is going to kill you." she said, approaching her brother, Carson.

Carson's blond hair was smoldering, and his Camp Half Blood t-shirt had burn marks on it. He gave her a wicked grin.

"Ah, there's nothing she can do to me that I can't do to her. Besides, she probably won't leave the cabin for a couple of days." He stared back at the purple madhouse. The white smoke was escaping through windows and doors now, and the chimney looked like a smoke stack.

Aurora looked at her other siblings. The oldest was Fitz, who was roughly sixteen and a half. The youngest out was barley older than her, named Mac. The rest of them were fighting of a plague of one of Aurora's favorite sicknesses.

She smiled as she thought of that outcome at diner. Half of the cabin looking like a rainbow, strolling into the dining pavilion, led by a goth looking skittle. It had her cracking up.

Mac smiled crazily before watching the first one of his siblings come out. It was Vanni, a small African American girl with black hair and hazel eyes. Her hands were on her hips, but she looked awful. Her hair was still on fire. Her face was smudged with soot, and when she talked, white smoke came out of her mouth. It didn't help that she was the color of a pumpkin.

"Lou says you're all sleeping outside. Until we get this cabin fixed. And you're not allowed in, unless you have to get your stuff." She mumbled some other things, then waltzed back inside with attitude. The five siblings looked at each other.

"Well, on the bright side, No chores!" Mac exclaimed, and they collapsed back into laughter. Aurora had made the mistake of backing up as she laughed, making her bump into someone.

"Watch it, witch." The voice sneered. Aurora's smile dissipated quickly. She didn't even have to turn around to tell it was one of her least favorite enemies.

"I'm sorry, maybe you should be more graceful, for someone who's last name is _Grace_," She spat out the last word like it had done her an injustice.

She didn't reply back. Thalia Grace didn't have anything to say? Unheard of.

When Aurora did turn around, her scowl deepened. Thalia Grace, lieutenant of Artemis was standing behind her. Her black hair was gathered in a ponytail that hung low on her head. She was wearing an orange shirt that didn't suit her. Her old battered jacket fit snug on her manly shoulders. Her ripped black jeans probably showed more that Artemis allowed.

But what Aurora noticed the most was that her silver circlet was replaced with a plain silver headband. Which either meant that Artemis was feeling the recession too or Thalia was out of the Hunt.

She really hoped it was the first one.

"So," the daughter of Hecate crossed her arms. "Artemis finally realized that you're not that good? Or she just found out that your heart was never really there. Either way, I'm guessing, you kinda got laid off."

Thalia didn't flinch. The daughter of Zeus had a smug smile. "I quit, for your info."

"Couldn't handle it? Of course not. Well, I hope you know better than to claim heartbroken girls now that you are one."

Thalia still didn't budge. She just rolled her blue eyes, something she did around Aurora a lot. "Whatever. I'm not here for you. I'm looking for my boyfriend. Seen him around?"

The brown haired girl looked stunned. "Boyfriend?" she asked, along with her surprised and crestfallen brother, Fitz.

Honestly, Fitz was the one of the best brothers she'd ever had. He had dark, spiky brown hair and glowing green eyes, like their mother. He was serious and stupid at the same time. And incredibly smart and admirable. The only thing holding him back from having a girlfriend at the moment was his huge crush on Thalia, who she begged wasn't that great. He was now learning it the hard way.

As she looked at her broken brother, she turned and glared at Thalia. She probably didn't mean to break Fitz's heart, but she had. "I haven't seen your damn boyfriend, okay? I don't even know who the hell he is."

Thalia of course, broke into another grin. She wasn't sure what Thalia had planned for her, but it couldn't be good.

"You don't know?" she stalled, enjoying Aurora's ignorance. "Hm. Maybe your Aphrodite friend was too scared to tell you about it."

The words rang in her ears. Marcie. Obviously that's who the former hunter was talking about. And why would she be scared to tell her?

A thought formed in Aurora's mind. She laughed bitterly. "If you think I care if you're dating Blake, then forget it. In my book you two b-"

Thalia cut her off. "It's not your filthy old boyfriend. Like I'd be his seconds. Especially not after you," She retorted.

This left her stumped. "Then who-"

"Nico."

Aurora's heart felt like it was crawling into her throat. Her chest tightened and her brain went blank. Her whole body stopped. Her breathing, moving, thinking, and hell, she was sure that even her heart stopped beating.

Thalia's boyfriend was…Nico? Di Angelo? The same one who was right across from her? It couldn't be true. But without a look from anyone, she knew that it was.

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "No, I, uh, haven't seen him." Because if she had she really wouldn't know what to do.

Thalia's smile slipped a bit. Obviously this wasn't the reaction she was looking for. The daughter of Hecate shuffled her feet. Their silence was more than awkward.

"Well, if you see him tell him I'm looking for him." She said. Her tone wasn't mean or smug, it was really just a demand, without a following threat.

"Whatever," Aurora said, and faced back to her brothers. She could hear the sound of Thalia's boots retreating away, going off to find him.

Aurora let go of a deep breath, and fell straight onto the grass. Her hair mixed with the plush green earth and the sun warmed her skin. But it felt terrible. Was Zeus gloating? Did he favor Thalia so much that he'd make it sunny for the remainder of their ridiculous relationship? Just so Aurora could cry about it.

Fitz loomed above her, Carson, Mac and her other brothers looking down at her face. She didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable; she was too busy clamping her eyes shut, trying not to cry.

* * *

Aurora was distracted all day. Words darted in and out of her mind, such as _love_, _Nico_, _stupid_, and _Aphrodite. _ Worst of all was that annoying name the Aphrodite cabin had come up with.

_Thalico_. It was overly ridiculous. Thalia and Nico's name combined, to make it easier to say "Oh look! It's Thalia and Nico being all adorable! Aww!" So they'd come up with that.

So during Archery, that's what she was thinking when she pointed her arrow at the bullseye, and it ended up inches from the son of Hades' feet.

Aurora stared at it in wonder. She wasn't exactly sure how it had happened, but she left it there. She didn't want to be within three feet of him.

She went back to the circular board, fixing her attention to the red dot, when a voice asked "This yours?"

She jumped while letting go of her arrow. It flew and landed in a tree, which a nymph pulled out of her side. She looked back with the most scornful look a tree could muster before throwing the wooden arrow on the ground and melting away.

The brown haired girl turned to yell at whoever had distracted her, when she got a better look at him.

Dark eyes and darker hair with pale olive skin. A small smile was stretched across his face. He was holding one of her arrows.

"You shot this at me?" Nico reminded her. Looks like Tyche really had it out for her.

"Um," Aurora mumbled intelligently. "Thanks," she snatched the arrow from his hand and turned back to her target.

Nico arched an eyebrow. "No comment? Nothing from the sarcastic, impatient, purple haired daughter of Hecate?" He teased, but his face was concerned, or just trying to act that way.

"No," she replied sternly.

He looked at her. "Whoa. What did I do?"

_Um, started dating Thalia, and not even having the balls to tell me?_ She thought, but she didn't say anything.

"You didn't _do_ anything. Did it ever occur to you that I didn't want to talk to you?" Nico shook his head.

"Guess not." He said, any trace of previous happiness away from his face.

"Whatever," Aurora said, getting back to her position. She pulled an arrow out of her quiver and set it onto her bow. She breathed deeply and kept her thoughts clear of everything except for one thing.

She missed the bullseye every time.

* * *

She was sitting on the pier when she heard footsteps. Her last tear dropped into the lake, becoming part of something much bigger than it would imagine. She was glad her time for that was over.

"I thought I'd find you hear," the voice said. "You always think by the pier."

Marcie sat down beside her, taking her shoes off and setting them behind her. She dipped her blue-painted toes into the clear water. Ripples appeared on the smooth surface, then vanished just as quick. Aurora wished this whole Thalico mess would blow over like that.

Marcelline was her best friend. She was a daughter of Aphrodite who knew more about love in her pinky than Drew did in her whole body. People tried hard to please Marcie, while she did the same. She wasn't an enemy you wanted to have.

Her wild maple curls were slipped back into a ponytail. One piece was left out; the red one. It seemed to glow against her creamy tan skin in the evening light.

She looked at Aurora. She knew the daughter of Hecate was hurting more than she would like. She just wish she didn't have to like him. It was unreasonable. He was sarcastic, rude, sloppy and skinny. He was never really mean to anyone, but he mostly kept to himself. Liking him was just going to blow up in Aurora's face.

Of course, the stubborn girl had done it anyways. She'd gotten close enough to know him, which Marcie knew was the game changer. Under all that gloom and doom was a broken kid you really wanted to help fix. And he was alluring. A child of the Big Three? At age fourteen? Aurora didn't stand a chance. She may not have been a fan girl, but her chances of being _the one _were slim.

Aurora sighed. In the two minutes that her friend had been here, she was sure that Marcie had summed up the problem, and had come up with several solutions.

Finally she spoke up. "Does revenge sound good? Because I'm out of options."

She stared at her hazel eyed friend. "Marce," she said. "What am I going to do? Thalia knows every trick she's been here longer than me. What could I possibly cook up that she isn't immune too." The misery in her voice was astounding.

Marcelline stood up. "Aurora Jane Powers, you're a daughter of Hecate. You fought in a war at the age of twelve. You almost died a million times. You've created more potions than chemist could dream of. You're strong and brave. You'll get past this problem. Their just a couple. And a bad couple too. I doubt they'll last."

Her pep talk was cheery, Aurora would give her that. "Even if I am all those things, I'm still a girl. A fourteen year old girl."

Marcie crossed her arms. "You are a demigod. Stop being so godsdamn ridiculous. You just turned your cabin into the human roygibv! And you can't get past _Thalico?_" She said it in such a way that Aurora felt really ridiculous.

She lowered her head for a minute before popping it back up. "Human rainbow, huh?" she smiled a bit. Marcie grinned immediately, she liked where this is going.

"Meet me at ten, near cabin one. Bring Ivy. Don't get caught."

* * *

"This is brilliant! How did you even think of this?"

The three girls were behind a bush next to cabin one. They went unnoticed by the Harpies, thanks to a blinding spell. Meaning that if someone were to look at them, they'd just see a blind spot.

The daughter of Aphrodite poked her head out, looking for anyone else. Aurora had her ear pressed to the cabin, trying to hear if anyone else was in the cabin. I sounded like only Thalia. She silently prayed to her mother that Jason wasn't there. She didn't want to have to deal with Thalia _and_ a Roman in the morning.

Ivy was busy. The daughter of Hermes had her sandy blond hair into a ponytail, her bright green eyes trained on the lock in front of her. Her eyes moved faster than lightning, calculating and thinking.

Ivy was much older than them. She was seventeen, but often didn't act like it. She was rude and mean at times, earning her the nickname of "Poison Ivy." She didn't mind it though as long as certain people didn't call her that. Thalia was on her list of people.

Thalia had never liked Ivy, mainly because she looked a little like Luke. She has the same hair color and skin tone, and of course she had the Hermes resemblance. But other than that, Ivy didn't like the hunter because she was bad at archery. After a while, she came not to like her because she figured she was above her because of her immortality. Any chance to screw up the dame's day got Ivy's vote.

The tumbler made a clicking sound, and the door opened. Inside was a sleeping Thalia Grace.

The three preferred her like this a million to one. She almost looked like a caring person, not someone who didn't appreciate their magic.

They looked around. The Zeus cabin was cold and white with a huge statue of the king of the gods. Thunder rumbled in the cabin, but Thalia didn't seem to notice.

Aurora tiptoed in, signaling for the others to follow. Marcie crept in, with Ivy at her heels. The daughter of Hermes pulled something out of her pocket.

"Aurora, do you have the vial?"

The daughter of Hecate nodded, and pulled a colorful vial from her hat. The liquid inside gave off an eerie green glow, like many of their potions. She handed it to Ivy. Very carefully, she slipped it into something.

Marcie knitted her brow. "What is that?" she whispered.

Ivy glanced over at Thalia. Another round of thunder boomed, so she figured it was safe to talk. "A motion sensor hooked up to an aerosol can. I had my boyfriend make it for me."

By boyfriend, she meant incredible son of Hephaestus who would do anything for her. They weren't exactly dating, but they traded stuff for pranks all the time, since their brothers were legendary.

She opened the bottom of the can and poured the liquid in. Sealing it tightly, she handed it back to Aurora. Carefully, she mounted it to the wall, making sure not to make a lot of movement.

Marcie moved to the door, keeping watch. The harpies floated by, unaware that Thalia's door was open. She hoped that Aurora had taken care of it, or it wouldn't stay that way for long.

The other two looked skeptically at the sensor. "Are you sure it's going to work? I mean, what if she doesn't go near it?"

Ivy looked at the wall. The motion sensor was a bit bulky, she'd admit it, but this made it a bit better. "Worst case scenario? She'll notice it. By the time she touches it it'll spray her right in the face. No doubt she'll get it. Best case, it'll pick up her movement as she goes to the bathroom. Assuming she even takes showers in the morning."

Aurora smirked at Ivy's last comment. "You're forgetting," the blonde supplied. "That Leo Valdez made this. I'm sure it's going to work."

That only made Aurora happier. She was going to give the son of Hephaestus a huge hug if this worked. She looked at Marcie, who gave her a thumbs up. As they exited, she swore lightening flashed, illuminating them. She prayed to every god that Thalia hadn't seen them.

They scampered back to the mini-camp set up outside the Hecate cabin. Lou Ellen hadn't been kidding when she told them they'd be sleeping outside.

Aurora slipped into her sleeping bag, and made sure that Ivy and Marcie were hidden from the harpies as they went back to their cabins. She'd armed them with a liquid invisibility potion just to be sure.

A sleeping bag shifted next to her. She didn't even put her head down as Fitz looked at her. His bright green eyes looked brilliant under the stars.

"I know what you did." He said. It was just a statement.

"Good. Than you can enjoy the next few days as well. Consider it your revenge too."

Fitz's eyes became less noticeable. "You didn't have to get revenge on her you know. It's really not going to make you feel any better, when you think about it. Nico isn't going to break up with her, and Thalia's just going to hate you-_us_- and your friends more. Is that worth it?"

He lay down in his bag once more, and Aurora's heart sank. She thought Fitz was going to be at least a little proud. She sighed softly, and closed her eyes into a hopelessly dreamful sleep.

* * *

When she woke up, the sun was shining into her eyes. Aurora jolted awake, standing up. Then she realized that she had slept outside.

Her brothers were already up and packing up. The place was swarming with demigods, as usual. She rubbed her head and closed her eyes.

"Time?" she asked no one in particular.

Carson looked at her groggily. His hair was a mess. His dark brown eyes were so tired looking, Aurora yawned just at the sight of them. She leaned back, only to realize that nothing was behind her. Falling with a thud on the grass, she moaned.

"Forget it," she mumbled into the ground. She wrapped her hair into a bun on top of her head and tied it off. Curling up into the earth, she told her brothers, "Wake me when there's a crisis. Other than that, I'm going back to sleep."

Just as she closed her eyes, a hellish scream rolled across the camp. She shot her eyes open and jumped to her feet, a classic demigod reflex. Smoke erupted from somewhere, and campers were alert.

A door opened somewhere behind her, revealing a half awake Nico holding a sword. He looked at Aurora who looked no different.

"Someone die?" he asked lazily. She stared at him.

"Wouldn't you know?"

He blinked for a minute, as if he were drinking in the fact that she hadn't used sarcasm. He then noted the white smoke rolling across the upper cabins. He narrowed his eyes before walking closer.

"Why is cabin one smoking?" he asked, a bit more alarmed. The daughter of Hecate looked in his same direction. Cabin one was indeed smoking. White smoke engulf the door.

She walked across the greenery, thinking before she ran into a smiling Ivy. "It worked," she said. Aurora widened her eyes, and laughed.

"Yes!" she cried, almost skipping to cabin one. A crowd of demigods were blocking the entrance, but she could hear what was going on.

Marcie came up beside her. Her hair was a mess. Her eyes had bags under them but hazel eyes sparkled with excitement.

The son of Hades past all of them. His sword was now sheathed, and he was at the door, when it opened, showcasing something they'd never forget.

Thalia Grace was a rainbow. Her black hair and blue eyes stayed the same, but horizontal stripes of all different colors wrapped around her body. Her hair was a mess and she was clad in silver pajamas. Her eyes blazed with anger.

The half-bloods coughed, sputtered and laughed. Aurora almost chocked at the outcome of her little prank.

Thalia Grace had Aurora's all-time favorite sickness; The Stripes.

The daughter of Zeus shook with anger. Nico looked like he didn't want to laugh. She scoffed at him and shut the door to her cabin.

Nico gazed into the crowd. "Okay, leave. Nothing to see here. Get lost." He gave a fierce glare that said _go or you'll all wish you hadn't_.

The three felt it was wise to do so. Of course they were snickering the whole way back.

Aurora looked over her shoulder. Nico was pounding at the door, trying to talk to Thalia. Her spirits died a bit. Sure, she got her revenge, but it didn't really go the way she thought it would.

And Fitz's words still stuck with her. _"Nico isn't going to break up with her, and Thalia is still going to be mad at you. Is it worth it?"_

No, she thought at first. But then again, anything that could make her smile now was worth it, wasn't it?

* * *

**R&R guys. I really need your feed back on it. Love/Hate/Flame?**

**As always,**

**~Donnatella-r**


End file.
